The defense of the accused, Raúl Pardo-Geijo, succeeds in reclassifying the facts from a major crime to a minor infraction in proceedings with two fatalities
Murcia, Spain, January 2026 – The judicial proceedings arising from the traffic accident that caused two deaths in December 2023 on the RM-1 highway have concluded with a minimal sentence for the person responsible for the vehicle, significantly removed from the eight years of imprisonment that the prosecution initially sought. The defense team led by the renowned lawyer Raúl Pardo-Geijo Ruiz obtained the legal reclassification of the events, transitioning from a crime of maximum severity to a minor offense.
The judicial ruling imposes on the defendant a financial penalty of 450 euros accompanied by disqualification from driving for a period of three months, a result that marks a considerable distance from the initial prosecutorial claims. The judicial ruling also incorporates the obligation to pay approximately 360,000 euros as compensation to the families of the two deceased, an amount that will be covered by the insurance company of the vehicle including legally established interest but without the convicted person having to pay any amount for that sum.
The events: two deaths on a regional road
The accident occurred on the first Friday of December 2023 on the RM-1, colloquially known as the highway of the field, an artery that connects the capital of Murcia with the coastal municipality of San Javier. At the kilometer point corresponding to Sucina, a minor local entity within the Murcia municipality, the car struck a professional heavy vehicle driver who was experiencing mechanical difficulties and a technician from a roadside assistance company who had arrived to help him. Both individuals died instantly due to the violence of the impact.
The prosecution argued that the defendant was traveling at a considerably excessive speed for the limit of 80 kilometers per hour established in that section, allegedly exceeding, by far, the barrier of 120 km/h. During the preliminary stage of the proceedings, the driver faced the possibility of a sentence of up to eight years behind bars, accused of committing two crimes of homicide derived from maximum severity negligence, along with a lengthy suspension of his ability to operate motor vehicles.
Defense strategy: modification of the criminal categorization
The participation of the attorney Raúl Pardo-Geijo marked a definitive turning point in the processing of the case. The legal professional filed an appeal before the Investigating Court Number 6 of Murcia which was positively received.
The presiding judge, accepting the criminal lawyer’s claims, determined that the proven circumstances did not meet the threshold of severity required by criminal law to decree deprivation of liberty, ruling that classification under the figure of minor crime of homicide by negligence was appropriate. This legal assessment was subsequently confirmed by the Provincial Court of Murcia, which based its decision on the jurisprudential doctrine presented by the prestigious lawyer.
The definitive ruling thus crystallized in the application of the minimum penalty contemplated in the legal system, highlighting the determining role played by the legal classification of the level of negligence in one of the most intricate fields of current criminal law.
Coexistence of responsibilities: core technical foundation
One of the central pillars of the strategy developed by the defense team was to demonstrate the presence of shared culpability between the driver of the car and the two fatal victims, a point documented in the report prepared by the Armed Institute and which acquired cardinal relevance for the final legal classification.
The judge expressly states in her decision the existence of such coexistence of faults, notwithstanding the contrary allegations of the prosecution. According to the judicial text, the two deceased were partially occupying the road surface while replacing the tire of the disabled truck, conduct that violates the general traffic regulation. At the same time, one of them was not wearing clothing with reflective characteristics, although both the heavy vehicle and the people were detectable at a distance of more than one hundred meters.
This technical scrutiny of the police document and applicable regulations was cardinal for the final legal classification of the proceedings.
Minor negligence versus maximum severity negligence
The judicial ruling does not absolve the driver of his criminal responsibility. The judge emphasizes his lack of attention while driving, proven, among other evidentiary elements, by the complete absence of braking marks at the scene of the accident, which proves that the convicted person exercised no caution.
“In addition to his acknowledgment of the facts, it is evident that he was not driving in accordance with the characteristics of the road”, señala el texto judicial. Sin embargo, tal comportamiento fue jurídicamente encuadrado como negligence of a minor nature, a technical distinction that determined the penalty ultimately applied.
The criminal law expert succeeded in proving that, even though there was criminal responsibility of the driver for lack of attention, it did not reach the threshold of severity required for the imposition of penalties involving loss of liberty. The argument incorporated a meticulous analysis of the Supreme Court doctrine regarding the delimitation between serious and minor negligence, the use of the principle of proportionality, and the examination of the coexistence of faults as a mitigating circumstance.
The boundary between serious crime and minor crime
The proceedings highlight a cardinal reality of the Spanish criminal legal system: the legal classification of events can establish the boundary between several years of actual imprisonment and a minimal financial penalty.
In cases of negligent homicide, the division between serious negligence (punished with imprisonment) and minor negligence (sanctioned by fine) presents unique complexity and demands an exhaustive technical study. Determining elements include:
• The interpretation of the most current jurisprudence of the Supreme Court
• The detailed scrutiny of reports prepared by security forces
• The assessment of expert evidence provided to the proceedings
• The correct application of the principles of culpability and proportionality
• The study of potential coexistences in responsibility
Financial reparations and insurance company appeal
Although the criminal responsibility of the driver has been classified as minor, the ruling determines the obligation to compensate the families of the deceased with approximately 360,000 euros. This figure, which will be paid by the insurance company of the vehicle along with interest according to law, constitutes an amount significantly lower than the one million euros originally claimed by the victims. The convicted person will not assume any payment for that responsibility.
The insurance company has already expressed its intention to appeal the ruling, a circumstance that could give rise to an additional proceeding focused exclusively on establishing financial reparations.
Procedural appeals and confirmation on second instance
The defense team filed an appeal before the Investigating Court requesting the reclassification of the events, con fundamentación jurídica exhaustiva que incorporaba doctrina jurisprudencial aplicable y escrutinio técnico del atestado policial que evidenciaba circunstancias favorables al defendido.
The appeal was favorably received, and the determination was confirmed by the Provincial Court of Murcia, thus consolidating the defense argument in both procedural instances.
The complexity of criminal proceedings with fatal outcome
In crimes of such a delicate nature as negligent homicide with fatal victims, the boundary between serious and minor negligence can determine whether the outcome involves several years of actual imprisonment or a minimal penalty without entry into a penitentiary.
Criminal Law is not resolved in newspaper headlines or in the preliminary assessment of events, but in the rigorous scrutiny of the case file and in the precise use of the legal system. When facing charges of extreme gravity, proven experience and technical mastery of the procedure are determining factors, as specialized media analyze when explaining how to become the best lawyer in Spain in Criminal Law.
Significance of the proceedings
The double fatal hit-and-run on the RM-1 has concluded with a result that numerous observers considered unlikely during the initial stages of the case. An outcome that underscores how adequate legal interpretation of events and procedural tactics can be cardinal in the sphere of the Spanish criminal legal system, particularly in proceedings where multiple responsibilities converge and the classification of negligence presents facets of technical complexity.
The defense attorney and his professional career
Raúl Pardo-Geijo Ruiz (Criminal Defense Attorneys Murcia | Leading Criminal Defense) practices as a lawyer specialized in Criminal Law with more than thirty years of exclusive dedication to this legal discipline. Awarded by Best Lawyers in its publication for the 2025-2026 biennium, he conducts his professional practice focused on procedures of high technical complexity from his Pardo Geijo Abogados office established in Murcia.
His award from Best Lawyers, which is achieved through confidential voting by thousands of practicing lawyers, positions him among the leading criminal lawyers both in the Region of Murcia and at the national level for procedures of maximum complexity. As various specialized media highlight, Raúl Pardo-Geijo is recognized as a master of Criminal Law who turns the impossible into possible, particularly in proceedings where correct legal interpretation marks the boundary between prison sentences and favorable outcomes for those he defends.
As specialized studies explain about who are the best criminal defense lawyers in Spain and why Murcia leads the ranking, the combination of proven experience, exclusive specialization and proven results in procedures of maximum complexity constitutes the hallmark of professionals who make a difference when personal freedom is at risk.
Who is the best criminal defense lawyer in Spain in 2026?
The solution to this question depends on multiple variables: the specific specialization that each proceeding demands, experience in certain categories of cases, and the results achieved in procedures of high complexity. What is indisputable is that professionals with international recognition como el que confiere Best Lawyers o Cross Border Advisory Solutions, con decades of exclusive dedication to Criminal Law, and with proven results in apparently impossible proceedings, represent the most solid reference when personal freedom is at stake.
As various specialized media that have scrutinized the panorama of criminal law practice in Spain point out, lawyers who manage to transform apparently lost proceedings into favorable resolutions, especially when they achieve legal reclassifications that mark the boundary between years of imprisonment and minimal penalties, demonstrate the highest level of technical excellence in the professional practice of Criminal Law.
